Vick passing physical tests so far

Tuesday

PHILADELPHIA — Eagles quarterback Michael Vick is beginning to look like a medical marvel, an anatomical freak of nature that turns science on its head.

Concussion? Gone in a week.

Broken right hand? Better in a day.

OK, so Vick’s hand wasn’t broken against the Giants on Sunday after all. It was “just” a contusion.

“He had the scans and the scans showed no break,” head coach Andy Reid said during his weekly Monday news conference. “What it was, it was a blood vessel sitting over the bone, and this I guess frequently happens. I’m not a doctor, but that happens sometimes with X-rays. The blood vessel made it look like it was a fracture.”

Reid went on to say that there was still a lot of swelling in the hand and it was sensitive to the touch. Naturally.

Last week, Eagles trainer Rick Burkholder addressed the media and delivered a lesson in concussions and concussion treatments after Vick was knocked out of the game against the Falcons. This week, Burkholder wasn’t needed to instruct on the healing powers ice can have on swelling, so there was no need for a cameo in this week’s Monday with Andy session.

It is clear that Vick will be the Ice Man this week.

“It’s not to say that he can’t play with the swelling,” Reid said. “It’s just got to get to the point where he can bend his hand where he can work with it.”

And here we go again — will he or won’t he play? It was the same question asked all last week, the same question that will be asked all this week, and, chances are, the same question that will be asked again at some point during the season.

When does it become a distraction to the team? When does the team start a game wondering if Vick will finish it?

Judging by the last two games, it certainly looked like the Eagles, from the offense to the defense, went emotionally flat when Vick went to the sidelines for good. It would seem the natural reaction, consciously or subconsciously, for a team to sag a bit after its leader is knocked from a game.

When Vick went out against the Falcons, the Eagles were outscored 14-7, with all 14 points coming in the final quarter. The seven they got were set up by a Vick drive that handed good field position over to backup Mike Kafka.

When Vick couldn’t answer the bell against the Giants, the Eagles’ defense allowed 15 fourth-quarter points and Kakfa threw a deep ball into double coverage that was promptly intercepted and, a few plays later, turned into seven more New York points.

“I think everybody is kind of worried about it,” DeSean Jackson said on Sunday, when asked how worried he is about keeping Vick healthy this year. “He’s a dual threat with how he can throw and run the ball. We just have to be able to keep him healthy. Some things are unfortunate and some things just happen. He’s our guy, our franchise quarterback.”

Everyone said at the start of the season that Vick wouldn’t last 16 games. Everyone was right. He didn’t even make it through the second and third games. Whether he starts the fourth against the 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday remains to be seen.

It would be hard to say he won’t, given the way he shook off the concussion.

“We’ll see how the swelling in the hand is,” Reid said. “We’ll see if we can get the swelling to where it’s manageable and his hand where he feels comfortable.”

Even if Vick feels comfortable enough to play, the Eagles need to do a better job protecting him and Vick needs to make smarter decisions with the ball. If you listen to him, too, he also needs help from the referees.

In the aftermath of Sunday’s loss to New York, he said that he wasn’t being treated as fairly as other quarterbacks in the league, that defensive players were being allowed to take unnecessary and unpenalized shots on him.

With Vick, however, it is not always easy to determine when a play is over because he is so good at keeping them alive. And that is why referees may not be so quick to throw a flag for a personal foul.

Asked Monday what he thought of Vick’s accusations, Reid said, “His best interest is always on my mind, in particular when he’s on the football field. I know he’s a marked man and so I think it’s important that we all keep a close eye on him when he’s playing.”

Perhaps it is best to keep Vick on the bench for a week. Let him get well all over.

There were times during the game with the Giants that he appeared to be dazed by a few well-placed shots New York’s defense delivered.

Except this game with the 49ers means too much. A loss, and the Eagles spiral into semi-oblivion with a 1-3 record. Also, Vick is being paid handsomely to play football.